Bee County Grand Jury members indicted a number of Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmates when they met last Thursday, apparently because they were unable to give up some of their free world habits.

Michael L. Mahan was named in a three-count indictment on charges of possession of a prohibited substance in a correctional facility, the William G. McConnell Unit.

All three charges are third degree felonies punishable by up to ten years in prison and a fine of $10,000.

According to TDCJ Office of the Inspector General investigator Jesse Martinez, correctional officers found a cellular phone, a cellular phone charger and marijuana in his possession on May 31.

All three counts were enhanced because Mahan had previous felony convictions including one on Oct. 26, 1989, in Childress County on a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer, one conviction on a charge of escape on May 28, 1991, and two convictions on Feb. 7, 2003, on charges of manufacture and possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, in Lubbock County.

District Judge Joel Johnson set bond on Mahan at $10,000.

Other TDCJ inmates and correctional officers indicted last week included:

•Wade Douglas Stewart on two counts of assault on a public servant, a third degree felony.

TDCJ investigator Matthew Koenig alleged that Stewart hit a female correction officer in the face and kicked her in the side with his foot while she was supervising inmates at the McConnell Unit on June 12.

The defendant had a previous felony conviction on three counts of delivery of a controlled substance on July 29, 1991, in Liberty County.

Bond was $10,000.

•Raul Rodriguez on a charge of possession of a prohibited substance in a correctional facility, a third degree felony.

Martinez alleged that the McConnell Unit inmate had marijuana in his possession on June 15.

Rodriguez had previous convictions on two counts of aggravated robbery in Bexar County on Nov. 27, 2006.

Rodriguez also had state jail felony convictions on charges of burglary of a building and forgery of a financial instrument on Oct. 29, 2001, and on charges of theft, $1,500-$20,000 and evading arrest and detention with a vehicle on April 19, 2004, both in Bexar County.

Bond was $10,000.

•Charles Johnson on a charge of possession of a prohibited substance in a correctional facility, a third degree felony.

Koenig alleged that Johnson had marijuana while incarcerated at the McConnell Unit on Feb. 24, 2008.

His charge was enhanced because of a previous conviction on a charge of capital murder on Dec. 11, 1997, in McLennan County.

Bond was $10,000.

•Rudy Rodriguez on a charge of possession of a prohibited item in a correctional facility.

Martinez alleged that Rodriguez had a cellular phone SIM card while he was an inmate at the McConnell Unit on May 11.

Rodriguez had previous felony convictions on charges of murder on Sept. 16, 1996, in Nueces County and aggravated assault with bodily injury on Oct. 19, 2000, in Brazoria County.

Bond was $10,000.

•Terrance Taylor on a charge of possession of a prohibited item in a correctional facility, a third degree felony.

TDCJ investigator Richard Romano claimed that Taylor had a cellular phone while an inmate in the McConnell Unit on Dec. 2, 2008.

Taylor had a previous felony conviction on Dec. 2, 1994, on a charge of murder in Travis County. Bond was $10,000.

•David Estrada on a charge of possession of a prohibited item in a correctional facility, a third degree felony.

Martinez alleged that the defendant possessed a cellular phone while serving a sentence at the McConnell Unit on June 15.

Estrada had previous felony convictions for possession of marijuana on March 20, 1997, in Dallas County and on May 18, 2004, in Williamson County.

Bond was $10,000.

•Correctional Officer Sena Noel Robbins on a charge of violation of civil rights-improper sexual activity with a person in custody.

The charge is a state jail felony punishable by a term of from six months to two years in a state jail facility.

TDCJ investigator John Davis filed the case in connection with a June 6 incident at the Raul R. “Rudy” Garza East Unit.

The defendant was accused of having deviate sexual contact with an inmate of that unit.

Bond was $5,000.

•Michael Martinez on a charge of official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor.

If convicted, Martinez could be sentenced to a $4,000 fine and a year in jail.

TDCJ investigators claim the defendant struck a McConnell Unit inmate’s head with his foot during an incident on June 9.

Bond was $2,500.

•Juan Antonio Gutierrez on a charge of providing a prohibited substance in a correctional facility.

The indictment did not include a punishment range for a conviction on that charge.

TDCJ investigators alleged that the defendant provided loose tobacco for an inmate of the McConnell Unit on June 15, 2007.

The reason the supervisors take the side of offenders is because, the offenders will beat down them supervisors the first chance they get if supervisors takes the CO’s side in some instances!

One other reason TDCJ goes through so many CO's is because working in a pod with over 60 offenders in GP and your the only officer in there. It is very dangers especially if your always writing cases on these offenders. The CRIPS and the BLOODS, Tango Blast. Will easily put a hit out on that officer in the prison! That is why a majority of the CO's leave not because they are dirty but because they don’t want to be killed by shanks[knifes made by offenders]. Best bet don’t police or you won’t last at any unit. The offenders will gang up on you and beat you down or KILL YOU!

Ricky Frank let me guess you live in Beeville too... Cause you do not know me but yet with one single post you have pasted judgement on me.

And as for me bashing the whole group MOST is not the WHOLE group. The prison that I worked at had three people walked off the unit in the first week I worked there. And when you see the RANKING officers take the side of the offenders over his own CO's when the CO's are right is BS.

The way I see it is some of the CO's that are still working there are good people and the rest just havent gotten caught yet.

southtexas1...what an ignorant comment you made. There are thousands of correctional officers that go into work and do their jobs in some very stressful conditions. Just because "some" are unlawful does not mean that the others are not. Don't bash a whole group because of a few. I truly feel sorry for your ignorance- and hope you have not reproduced in any fashion.